


Finding A Family

by daughterofgondor



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Middle Earth, Modern Character in Middle Earth, Modern Girl in Middle Earth, Tenth Walker, basic middle earth story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-30 02:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5146577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daughterofgondor/pseuds/daughterofgondor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaitlin wishes to get away from her problems and finds herself in Middle Earth. Will she find the family she never had a chance to have? Possibly a bit Mary Sueish</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

      I shivered as I walked through the forest. My thin sweater and ripped leggings did little to keep me warm from the cold wind. It was late autumn and I had decided to go for a walk through the woods near my house. This was my favourite place to be, my safe haven, and I would wander around for hours, hiking and climbing trees, before settling down somewhere for the night. I never spent the night at home unless the weather was too cold for me.     Today as I walked, I looked around for a place to spend the night. I did not want to be home when my dad came back. At last I saw it, a small alcove surrounded by trees near a little, clear stream that flowed south. I took my bag off my shoulders and took everything out. I had a blanket, a block of wood, a small carving knife, some matches, a warm sweater and practically everything that I might need in order to spend a night outside. I gathered some sticks, made a small fire and spread out my blanket.     After eating a meal of fruit and nuts that I brought with me, I lay down, got my knife and the wood and tried to choose something to carve. I stared at the block for some time without any brilliant ideas, so I put it away and looked up at the night sky. The trees left a clearing above me and here, far from any city lights, I could see the stars. I watched them, finding all the constellations that my mom had taught me to find when I was a child. As I did, a shooting star flew past, a bright streak in the dark sky. I made the same wish I had been making for the last 5 years. Let me wake up far away from here and never have to face my problems at home again, I thought. Then I turned to my side and closed my eyes. I was soon fast asleep.


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaitlin finds herself in a new world and encounters some interesting people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my story please review! I'd really like to know what you guys think about it!

I woke up to the sun shining on me. Stretching and yawning, I slowly sat up and looked around. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day but something felt different. The trees were definitely much too green for this time of year and they were taller than last night. I shrugged, assuming that I just hadn't paid attention before, and began to pack my belongings. After eating a quick breakfast, I walked over to the stream. Using my reflection, I brushed my long, light brown hair and braided it. Afterwards I glanced at the water once again. The girl looking back at me had a slender face, blue-green eyes, and pronounced cheekbones. I looked tired, the day-old bruise under my jaw added to the effect. I turned away and picked up my bag. As I was about to leave, I heard a rustle in the bushes, followed by footsteps. I turned towards the sound and picked up a large branch, in case it was an animal. When the man steeped out of the bushes I gasped and backed away. He had messy black hair that needed a trim, and grey eyes. I noticed that he looked quite a bit like Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. He must have been headed to a festival or something of the sorts and gotten lost. He had a sword in his hand that looked very real and was dressed like the ranger. “Who are you?” he asked.  
“Kaitlin. And you are?” I answered staring at the man.  
He straightened up and said, “I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. What is a lady doing here by herself in such dangerous times?” the so called Aragorn seemed just as shocked as I was and was being cautious with me.  
“I was spending the night here.”  
“Unarmed? And alone?” The man was unconvinced. “You could have been attacked by orcs or worse.”  
I laughed. “Orcs? Aren’t you going a bit too far with this? We are not in Middle Earth. What else could have attacked me? Wargs?”  
The man looked confused. “Yes, wargs are a possibility. And we are in Middle Earth, my lady, 10 leagues from Rivendell, home of the Lord Elrond.”  
I abruptly stopped laughing. Could he really think that we were in Middle Earth? He was calling himself Aragorn and did look a lot like the character, but seriously? Middle Earth? I stood and silently stared at the man in disbelief. That is, until I heard a howl in the distance. “What was that?” I asked. The guy looked worried and replied. “Those, my lady, are wargs.”  
And that is when I panicked. “Can you do something?” I now believed the Middle Earth story and my main worry became surviving the next half an hour. The man grabbed my arm and led me back the way he had come. As we ran, I had time to think this through. I was running away from apparent wargs through a forest I didn't recognize with a man who could be crazy. No big deal. We arrived at the camp and everyone was on their feet taking out their weapons. When I saw the four hairy-footed hobbits all my doubts about Middle Earth disappeared. The men, elf and dwarf were standing in front of the hobbits and Gandalf was behind them facing the opposite way.. Aragorn unsheathed a dagger and gave it to me. “Go hide.” He told me. “If anything happens, just shout and we will come.” He pushed me towards the trees and turned to face the oncoming wargs. I turned and ran for the safety of the bushes.  
Soon, I found a tree with branches low enough for me to climb up. I pulled myself up and got on to the safest branch. Aragorn’s dagger was still in my hand and I was breathing hard. I could hear the sounds of fighting and stayed as quiet as possible. When the sounds stopped, I jumped down and went back to the clearing. As I reached its edge, I heard a shout. “Behind you!” I turned, dagger ready, and saw a warg coming towards me. I raised the weapon and threw it at the beast. Of course, it missed. This only made it bolder and it began to charge. Fortunately, it did not get far; a sword flew past me and hit the animal’s head, killing it. I turned to see my rescuer and saw Aragorn, looking around and checking that everyone was fine. After everyone had gathered Gandalf came up to me. “What is your name? Where did you come here from?”  
I answered honestly, “My name is Kaitlin and I’m not sure how to explain where I'm from."  
The wizard looked confused for a second. “Well I am Gandalf the Grey, this as you know is Aragorn, and these are Frodo, Sam, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Merry, and Pippin.” He said, pointing to each member of the Fellowship as he said their name. “Why don't we sit down and you can tell me your story, for we are on a mission of great importance and can not trust everyone we meet on our path."  
I began telling them about the forest the previous night and the wish I had made. I explained that Middle Earth was nothing but a story in my world and that I knew it from a long time ago but did not remember the details. They asked me to tell them everything I know about the Fellowship, so I did. After several hours of continuous talking I finished and Gandalf retreated to speak with Aragorn for several minutes. When they returned Gandalf spoke, "We have decided that you are telling the truth. If you like, we will offer you our protection until the next city."


	3. The Trek Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of Kaitlin's journey with the Fellowship. None of these characters are mine except Kaitlin.

I had agreed to go with the Fellowship. The camp was cleared and we moved on. As we walked I spoke to Gandalf. He asked about my world and afterwards about the skills I had which could be useful while I travelled with the Fellowship.  
“Well, I can ride a horse quite well and survive in the wild. But my aim isn’t very good. I'm sure you noticed during my run in with the warg.” I replied. “But I would like to learn how to use a sword.”  
The old wizard chuckled.  
“Speak to the men about that. They are the best swordsmen in our midst.  
“Thank you Gandalf, I will speak to them when we stop.” I moved back to talk to the hobbits. They were just as I imagined them, curious and lively, even though they knew it was a dangerous journey. I admired their bravery and lightheartedness. Merry and Pippin were by far the most curious. They made me tell them everything about my world. After telling them, I decided to show them some of the things I had brought with me. I took out my flashlight and lighter. When I turned on the flashlight, the amazement on the Halfling’s’ faces was incredible.  
“Gandalf!” Pippin called. “Lady Kaitlin can do magic!”  
I laughed and turned the light off. “This isn’t magic, it’s called a flashlight. It’s a normal object in my world, almost like a torch.” The process then repeated with the lighter but this time the hobbits did not think it was magic. They stared at the things until I had put them away.  
When the Fellowship stopped to make camp, I was exhausted. My boots had begun to develop holes and I was cold in my thin clothes. I voiced my concerns to Aragorn who gathered some extra clothing from the others. He returned to me with leggings from Legolas, a shirt from one of the hobbits, Boromir’s extra cloak and a pair of elvish boots close to my size. I thanked the men and went behind some thick bushes to change. As I changed from my thin sweater to the hobbit shirt, that fit me quite well, I heard footsteps and reached towards the dagger that Aragorn had let me hold on to. When I saw who stepped out of the bushes I relaxed and smiled in greeting. “Forgive me, lady Kaitlin, I did not know that you were here.” He seemed uncomfortable and turned around.  
“It’s alright, lord Boromir, I’m dressed.” I said as I tried to do up the cloak he had given me. When he turned and saw me struggling, Boromir grinned and came up to me. “Here, allow me to help.” The man skillfully tied the laces and closed the clasp around my shoulders.  
I laughed at the ease with which he did it. “Thank you. Now come, we should go back to the group.” As we walked back we talked about our lives and hobbies. I told Boromir about my love of traveling and hiking through the wild and he said that if we ever survived the journey, he would love my company on his next trek. I laughed and said, “I would absolutely love to go. If we survive, that is.” I was silent until after we had eaten, thinking about the man’s fate and wondering if I could change it.  
As the Fellowship sat around the fire smoking their pipes I sighed and stood. “Will any of you teach me to use a sword?” I asked looking at the group.  
Boromir spoke first. “Why would a lady need to know how to use a weapon? With us you are protected.”  
I was frustrated and glared at Boromir. “And if we are attacked and become separated? What then? The women of the Rohirrim can wield a sword so why not me?”  
Boromir was about to protest when Aragorn put an arm on the Gondorian’s shoulder. “  
She is right, Boromir. Anyone who travels with us should be able to defend themselves,”  
The ranger got up and turned to me. “I will teach you. And Boromir, would you be kind enough to help us?” Boromir grunted and stood to follow Aragorn. We walked to a flat area on the field that we had set up camp on. Aragorn unsheathed his sword and handed it to me hilt first. . It was a simple blade and heavier than I had imagined.  
“Now I will guide you through the steps and Boromir will act as your opponent,” the ranger explained, “Bend your knees, face him, and hold your sword in front of you. Never take your eyes off of him and make sure you always anticipate an attack.” I positioned myself as I was told and watched Boromir unsheathe his own sword. It was much fancier than the ranger’s simple blade and seemed a lot heavier as well. The man lunged at me and I made a weak attempt to meet his blade with my own. This continued for some time and I was beginning to tire.  
. Boromir swung his sword at my left arm and I turned, trying to block it, and missed his sword swinging at thin air. I groaned as the man’s sword nicked my arm and let go of my sword.  
I grabbed my arm and turned my head trying to check how deep it was. It didn’t seem like anything important but the cut stung.  
“My lady!” Boromir rushed to me and checked my arm before telling Aragorn, “Go bring bandages and bind her arm”; Aragorn calmly nodded and went to retrieve his pack. The Gondorian on the other hand seemed to be panicking. I assumed it was because of how he was raised. He had never fought or hurt a female and it was considered dishonourable to do so.  
“It was just a scratch”, I assured him, “Nothing important. And it’s my fault for not paying attention anyways”.  
By that time Aragorn had come back with a bandage and began binding my arm. “It is not a deep cut and shouldn’t trouble you much.” He said afterwards, “There is nothing to be worried about.”  
I smiled at both men and got up. “Thank you. Both of you.” I began to walk away when I heard Sam ask Legolas,  
“What is that?” I stopped and turned, remembering what was supposed to happen.  
Gimli looked at the cloud and stated, “Nothing, it’s just a whiff of cloud.”  
Then, just like in the movie, Boromir stood and said, “It’s moving fast…and against the wind.”  
I decided it was time to speak up and shouted, “It’s crebain from Dunland! Everyone hide!”  
Everyone began scrambling around, hiding under rock outcroppings and in bushes. Sam put out the fire and everyone grabbed their belongings. While I helped the hobbits hide the crebain had come close and I realised that I had nowhere to hide. I quickly rolled under a bush, praying that I hadn’t been spotted. Then an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me further under the bush. I almost screamed until I realised that the arm belonged to Boromir. I calmed down leaned into him. He flinched and I quickly moved away again, feeling awkward. Instead I flipped onto my back to watch the crows circle and fly back the way they came. The dark shadow that I had felt in my mind went away with the birds.  
I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding and rolled out from under the bush. I turned to Boromir and thanked him. His only reply was, “Any of the Fellowship would have done the same.” Then he turned and walked off to join the others.  
I knew I should go as well but I was tired and worried. I knew we were headed to Moria and that the Fellowship, with the exception of Gandalf, would survive. But, I wasn’t part of the Fellowship, nor was I prepared for what was coming. I had no skill with weapons and would not be able to defend myself. Then there was the issue of the Fellowship and Gandalf.Should I tell them what was going to happen to Gandalf? I knew I couldn’t but they would hate me afterwards…if I survived. I made a mental note to practice my sword skills and think of an explanation about Gandalf’s fall and why I had stayed silent.  
As I sat on a rock away from the group Gimli came and sat beside me. “Something wrong lassie?”  
I looked at him and pointed to the dagger Aragorn had given me. “I have this thing, but no idea how to use it.”  
The dwarf chuckled, “We have a long journey ahead of us, lassie, and lots of time to learn. Now come, the meat is ready and the others eat like bears.” We stood up and went to join the others at the fire.  
As we ate an eagle landed a short distance away. It looked around and its gaze landed on me, then it let out a screech and flew over to me. The camp went silent. The bird stared at me, making me nervous. I ripped a piece of meat of my chunk and threw it to the animal. It grabbed the piece and flew off with a cry.  
“Well that was strange,” I said. “It must have been quite hungry.” When no one replied I added, “Aragorn, can we continue the sword lessons?”  
“Of course,” he said, “Come let’s start now, while it is still light.” I grabbed my temporary sword and followed him to a flat area. We had several hours until dark and we spent that time sparring. Finally, exhausted, we collapsed on the ground panting. “You are a quick student, Kaitlin. I will make you into a fine warrior.”  
“You’d still be better!” I exclaimed punching his arm playfully.  
Aragorn laughed, “A decade of this and you’ll be as good as I am. Now come, it is too dark to continue and we must save our strength for the climb tomorrow.” We stood and returned to camp, talking and laughing the whole time.


	4. Caradhras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey to the top of Caradhras begins and Kaitlin learns the meaning of cold.

The following day we walked the whole time, with only one stop for a meal and to rest our sore feet. I noticed that Boromir had not spoken to me since the previous day and seemed to be keeping his distance. I found him distributing dried meat to the Fellowship and carefully avoiding eye contact with me. “Is that meat talking to you?” I asked, grabbing a piece out of his hands, “Or are you avoiding me?”

He looked up at me and answered, “The food does not talk. And I am not avoiding you. I am ignoring you.” He said ignoring like a foreign word and I bit back a laugh. He must have picked it up from me and my constant empty threats to the men when they refused something.

“Well, you aren’t doing a very good job. You’re not supposed to talk to me. And what for anyways?” I replied.

“You asked the ranger to teach you to fight. Do you think that I am worse than him? Or that I would refuse?” I chuckled and put a hand on Boromir’s shoulder. 

“If this is your reason to be angry at me then I don’t understand you men. I asked Aragorn because he wasn’t looking like a starved wolf that’s been given a bone. I was worried you would try to eat me if I disturbed your meal.” The man looked offended at first but began laughing after he realized I was joking. I laughed with him and promised to ask him next time I wanted to practice. Then Pippin came up to us to say that we would be finishing our food on the road because we were leaving right away.

After an hour of walking we reached the beginning of the Pass of Caradhras and began our ascent. It was not an easy hike. The amount of snow on the ground steadily increased as did the snowfall. The icy winds buffeted us with ice and snow. The hobbits struggled most but the men and Legolas helped them push through the wind. Gimli refused any assistance and kept steadily moving forward in between gusts of wind.

Suddenly, Frodo tripped and fell, rolling back down the incline until Aragorn managed to stop his descent. As the hobbit stood he touched his chest, checking for the ring, and not finding it. He looked back up the slope and stopped just ahead of me. Everyone followed his gaze and saw Boromir, holding the chain that the ring was on, completely oblivious to anything around him. “It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing,” he muttered, mesmerized by the ring.

“Boromir,” Aragorn shouted over the wind, “Give the ring to Frodo!” This brought the Gondorian out of his daze and he held it out to the ring bearer. Frodo grabbed the chain and Boromir chuckled, ruffling the hobbit’s hair. He put the chain back around his neck, tucked the ring into his shirt and we set off once again. 

As we ascended the mountain pass the snow began to fall harder. Soon the men were carrying the hobbits where the snow was too deep and the rest of us were waist deep in snow and slowly pushing through it. Snow gathered in my hair and on my eyelashes and it covered my borrowed cloak in white flakes. The wind went through all our clothes and I was beginning to lose feeling of my toes and fingers.

Suddenly Legolas stopped, listening to the wind. “There is a foul voice in the air,” he said and we all paused trying to listen over the wind. There was indeed a voice speaking in a language I did not understand and I assumed it was Elvish or something of that sort. The voice sounded menacing and the mountain shook with it.

“It is Saruman,” Gandalf said. Stones and snow began to fall around us, narrowly missing us each time.

Aragorn pulled Frodo farther from the edge and turned to the wizard. “He’s trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf! We must turn back!”

Gandalf shot back a no and raised his staff, chanting in the same language as Saruman. The wind and snow died down for a moment but then lightning struck somewhere above us and a huge avalanche came tumbling down on top of us.

The snow was freezing cold on my face and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. There was white everywhere and I felt the weight of it pressing down on me. I began to feel claustrophobic and panicked, clawing my way out of the snow. After what seemed lie hours but was probably less than a minute I saw the light of the sun and managed to raise my body above the snow. I looked around, checking if everyone made it out.

The snow continued to pummel us and I hear Boromir shout, “We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and make for my city!” I looked at Aragorn and saw him shaking his head.

“The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!” he yells over the wind.

“That is the safest way!” I argue. After thinking about Moria every night when they thought I was asleep, I realized that if that is the way we go I would not be able to warn the Fellowship about Gandalf. When they realize that I knew this whole time and that I did nothing to stop it they will hate me. I had grown close to the Fellowship in these few weeks. Gimli with is booming voice and great sense of humour, the hobbits with their mischief and their unbreakable optimism, Legolas with his constant calm, and his quarrels with Gimli. I could not stand to have them hate me, but I knew that Gandalf would come back stronger and that it is important that he does.

A shake from Boromir brought me back to reality and its biting cold. I realized that while I was deep in thought the Fellowship had already made their decision and that we were headed to the depths of Moria. The trek down the mountain was much easier than the way up, though I did slip and fall a couple times, only to be caught by one of the Fellowship who happened to be near me.

After a whole day of walking the snow disappeared and we reached the bottom of the mountain again. When Gandalf allowed us to stop everyone dropped down in exhaustion and it was quite some time before we began to make camp. We were not allowed a fire because Gandalf feared that we would be seen by spies and so our meal consisted of dried meat and bread. The hobbits were in high spirits after coming back to the warmth while the rest of us sat silently staring into the darkness.

I lay down on my back and exclaimed when I saw the stars. “I have never seen constellations like these back at home!” I stared at them, memorizing every detail. Boromir laid down beside me and pointed at a bright star.

“You see there? That is Earendil, the star which brings hope to the peoples of Middle Earth. And that one there”, his hand moved to another star, which burned red, “that is Borgil.” He continued to show me the stars and tell me their stories until he grew tired and went to sleep. I yawned and moved closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder, and fell asleep as well. I felt like that was where I belonged, nestled up to him on a grassy plateau in the middle of nowhere. I sighed contentedly and fell asleep as well. 


End file.
